Spotting Scope Telescope
Which one is right for me? Telescope vs Binocular vs Spotting Scope?
It will be mainly used in open field/country side and in mountain areas for simply observing things such as animals, cars, people etc. It will also be used to watch the night sky.
I need something powerful enough to see the mars or objects far away on earth and at the same time with clear picture. I guess the zooming power is the priority.
Size isn't important.
WOW...You propose a lot for one instrument that has to do it all. And in fact, one instrument cannot do it all.
If you want a good all around terrestrial viewing gizmo, I would go with a pair of Astronomical Binoculars and a tripod. You will be talking about a heavy set of binocs that will make you weary holding for any extended period, but will provide you with excellent views and big bright pictures. There are several kinds you can select ranging up to tens of thousands of dollars. The more reasonable priced models are one thousand or less - down to around $300. Try looking at the 15 X 50 mm models...That is 15X with 50mm objective lenses.
That size binoc will gather lots of light for looking at the Moon and stars in the sky. Do not plan on drawing any maps of Mars with them however. At 15X Mars will be just a pin point.
A spotting scope often has a zoom feature which is nice, and they can be had in a variety of sizes which are easy to haul around. Because they are much greater than 8X magnification (which is about the limit for hand held devices), you will also need some kind of tripod for one of them. The magnification power of spotting scopes varies between suppliers but most seem to range between about 10X and 40X. That is fine for Earthbound usage, and you can mess around with it looking at the Moon and stars, but nothing will be really big in the views except the Moon.
"Seeing" as an Astronomer "sees" requires a telescope with a huge light collecting opening...on the order of 12 Inches to 28 inches. Refractor telescopes fall out of the running at objective lens diameters of around 6 Inches. Anything beyond that size is enormously expensive. Reflector type scopes fill the void from there on up and don't get really pricey until you get up to around 12 and 14 Inch diameter Mirror size. Guys with lots of funds can possibly afford to go for the biggawons that are gigantic contraptions which live in their own little observatories in private homes.
Recommend you see:
www.telescopes.com
www.astromart.com
www.cloudynights.com
Here are some current auctions on Ebay now for Spotting Scope Telescope:
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US $109.95
